A Birthday at Manmaru

It was tough. There are so many places I want to dine at in Tokyo. Yet it was March 27th, 2020, and worries about the virus made me think twice about that. It's why I didn't go back to Vampire Cafe and a few other places. Or try new restaurants. At least I didn't have to travel far to one of my favorites, and it is a very small restaurant with good ventilation. Has to have that because of the charcoal grills.

Yes I was back at Manmaru, with Pick Happiness sake again.

That perfect pour. I really need my own sake cup set.

Beatles' music playing and an older couple next to me celebrating one of their birthdays. He gave her a lovely watch locket that was a lot like one I have, and she gave him a beautiful blue tea bowl. So sweet!

I had not stopped thinking about that tomato.

So yes, I did get it again. And it was wonderful tasting once again. Ripe, sweet and thin skinned. A tomato grown to be eaten like this.

Of course there was grill unagi. I'm finally getting really good photos of it!

My unagi don. The miso soup is also very good at Manmaru

The celebrating couple ordered this lovely little block of cold tofu. I could not resist asking for one myself. Creamy, salty and a little sour topping with heat from the wasabi. So good.

That cup of hot tea. And my left over rice. What shall I do?

Into the bowl the tea goes. I am learning. This was the end of another "pushuu~" meal.

One last moment from Manmaru. The Beatles "Birthday" started to play. I did my best to tell the birthday couple that this song was on. They were so happy! I wished the man "Happy Birthday!" and both of them were very nice and also waved good bye as I left. It was a wonderful moment that I got to share in their birthday fun. 

Back at the hotel I enjoyed a little Kit Kat, thanks to the local 7-Eleven. It's nice not having to buy a big bag.

And a couple photos of the monaka that I got at Rikugien.

Sweet and crisp, they were like little rice macarons. Really nice treats!

Daikoku Shrine in Komagome

Across the street from Komagome Station, there is a shrine.

It's a shrine for one of the Seven Lucky Gods, a form of Daikokuken. See the mallet emblem on the metal gate? 

The shrine is 大國神社, Daikoku Jinja. While everything looks rather new, the establishment of this shrine dates back to 1783.

Daikokuken is one of those gods that people pray to for good luck and wealth. I'm sure getting fortunes here is popular. The bad luck fortunes are left at the shrine.

A natural stone chozubachi. There is something appealing in this mix of streamlined modern and natural elements.

Of course there are the guarding komainu.

One of the bonuses of going to Daikoku Shrine at this time of year is the sakura.

The color of the blue sky when viewed through sakura is amazing.

Daikoku Jinja is a Shinto shrine for personal worship of one form of Daikokuten. That is the god Okuninushi-no-Mikoto, a descendant of the god Susanoo. 

The Komagome Bridge is next to the shrine. It spans the rail road tracks below.

The bridge has a couple interesting details like the metal work flowers for fencing, with Mt Fuji above them.

Another view of Komagome Bashi.

One Last Look at Rikugien

Did I mention that Rikugien has a lot of old trees? And some are sakura trees? They do. 

Rikugien also has many amazing views. Because it was created that way. 

Even though the water flowing through the river into the pond is salt-water, there are fish swimming there. 

With the flowing waterways, there are a number of elegant bridges.  This is Yamakage Bashi. The walk there is called Sasa-no-michi which means Cobweb Way.

 The river is Zenkei no Nagare, Mountain Stream. 

 And hidden in the leaves are beautiful little tea houses, placed to give the best views of Rikugien.

It really did feel like walking along a mountain stream flowing through a forest. Very relaxing and calm feeling. 

Up on Tsukiyama the view was gorgeous. You can see how spare crowds were, even before Tokyo shut the gardens. I hope they will reopen, perhaps just limiting the number of people who can go in. It was a welcome relief to visit here.

I tried out my iPhone's panoramic camera. I think it turned out okay. 

Meanwhile back on lower ground, I headed towards Naka-no-Shima, the island in the pond. 

Two large stones make up Togetsukyo bridge. The name comes from a Waka poem about viewing the moon moving across the sky. Yes it is the focal point of one of the 88 views. 

There was a guard rushing people across the bridge, but I still had to take a photo of Daisensui pond with Naka-no-Shima in the middle, while I was crossing.

It is amazing the variety of views that can be found in Rikugien. 

No question that they achieved creating 88 beautiful views. 

Rikugien is definitely one of the best Japanese strolling gardens that I have visited. I'm glad I went during the day. It was a beautiful walk that uplifted my feelings during this time.